


Arranged

by saltwater_heart



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Angst, Arranged Marriage, Bellarke, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Grounder Bellamy Blake, Grounder Culture, Grounder Octavia Blake, The 100 - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-16
Updated: 2015-07-16
Packaged: 2018-04-09 16:05:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4355414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saltwater_heart/pseuds/saltwater_heart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arranged Marriage AU with a Grounder!Bellamy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time ever writing a story with a Grounder version of a main character, so be easy on me! This is also my first time writing anything AU, and an arranged marriage AU is pretty hefty at that. All mistakes, misspellings, and grammatical errors are mine. There are a LOT of differences from the show as far as background story and which characters are in what positions. For instance, the situation with Kane being Chancellor Pro-tempore is the same, just on earth rather than the Ark. Characters that may have died in the show may not have died in this version. It is an AU after all. Enjoy!!

_"The ultimate test of man's conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard." Gaylord Nelson_

_**Bellamy** _

The morning chill was creeping in, and becoming quite the nuisance. Annoyed, Bellamy pulled the fur up and tucked it under his chin. He groaned as the light through the window waltzed across his face.

 

“Too early,” he muttered, frosted breaths escaping his chattering teeth.

Today was the day. The day they finalized the peace treaty with the Sky People. It had been a long time coming - almost 5 years since the dropship full of criminal children touched the ground. Later that year the rest of the colony followed them down. It was a bloody start down a long road. The _Skaikru_ had landed in his clan’s territory, burned his people alive, and invaded his home. They had no respect for the Grounders. The Sky People desecrated their sacred sites, drained the forest of game, and left a trail of havoc wherever they went. The thought of how they handled his fallen clansmen had him fuming. Anya had been held prisoner and forced to watch as they burned the bodies of his comrades, stripping them of weapons and useful items before carelessly tossing them to the flames.

He had no love whatsoever for the Sky People. They were an inconvenience.

_Bronwada._ Worthless.

After the rest of their people came down (on the Ark? He thinks that’s what he has heard people call it) they temporarily formed an alliance to win the battle at Mt. Weather. It didn’t take the Sky People long to begin overstepping their bounds again and the alliance was eventually dissolved. Now, their leader was sick and dying, and the Sky People needed to come under the wings of the Grounder Clan. They would die in the coming winter without the food and supplies they needed. The only way they would be able to survive was if the Grounders opened up a trading post with them and allowed them to come to their side of the mountain to hunt.

He did not like the idea of arranging a permanent peace treaty with the Skaikru, but that was his heda’s call, and he had virtually no say in the matter. Because he was a General and a part of the court, he would be traveling with the Grounder entourage that day to finalize the treaty.

His mother, Aurora, banged on his door, beckoning him to get up and join the rest of the party for the ride to Camp Jaha.

“Hurry up. The riding party is ready. Anya needs to meet with you before we go.”

“What?” he growled from underneath the warmth of his furs. “Never mind. I’m coming.”

What in hades did Anya want to meet with him about? He was just an escort.

_Probably just to discuss a plan should the meeting go awry._

He wouldn’t be surprised if the Sky People tried to start an all-out war on the spot.

  
“Disgusting space-rats,” he spat to himself.

He fumbled around, managing to get dressed without yawning and strode out of his cabin, door slamming against the frame.

Leaves crunched underfoot as he crossed the camp to the meeting hall. The chill was beginning to set in, become more permanent. He shouldered the door to the meeting hall open, huffing hot breaths into his cupped palms in an attempt to warm his hands.

Anya sat at the far end of the hall on her oaken throne.

“ _Heda_.” He nodded in greeting. “Couldn’t light a blasted fire in here?” he grumbled.

“Suck it up. It’ll be warm by noon. Besides, we’ll be travelling down the mountain soon, and it’s still warm in the valley” Anya looked unamused.

“Right. So what did you need to meet with me about?”

 

“I need to discuss the terms of the peace negotiations with you.”

  
  
“But I’m just an escort. What business is it of mine what your terms are?”

  
  
“Well that’s what I’m getting to.” She paused, very briefly looking apologetic. She cleared her throat.

 

“You are the terms.”

  
  
Bellamy’s jaw locked up.

 

“What do you mean?” he gritted.

“Whatever actions we take to establish peace with the Skaikru need to be permanent and a show of good faith. Though they have been blight on our land in the past, they have things we can use. Technology, medicine, skilled healers, farmers and engineers. Eventually it will pay off to have an alliance.”

He slowly folded his arms across his chest and eyed the Commander warily.

  
  
“So? What does that have to do with me?”

“The only thing permanent enough to suffice is a marriage.”

  
  
The pieces of the puzzle finally clicked. Bellamy slammed his fists on the table.

“You want to marry me off to some sky-rat piece of-”

“Bellamy!” Anya boomed. Immediately he realized his mistake. Sometimes he got too comfortable with her and forgot his place. She was still the heda, commander, and demanded his submission and loyalty.

 

“Shouldn’t I get some kind of say in this - you are marrying me off after all. This is a pretty life-altering decision you’ve made on my behalf without my consent,“ he emphasized the possessives, and Anya rolled her eyes, “and I don’t-” Anya cut him off again.

 

“You are the only one I can trust. You are young, near their Princess’s age. You are loyal to your people, Bellamy. You will do this because of your love for your people. I know I can trust you to do what is right for the clan.”

 

His brain was reeling. He was about to be betrothed to some Sky Princess hag, and he had no say in it. But Anya was right about one thing: he did love his people. They were a family. He would do anything for the good of his clan.

“Okay, I will do it. But it is just for show, correct? A sign of good faith?"

 

“Yes. It is an arranged marriage. Obviously you’re not required to love someone you’ve never met.”

  
“And the Sky Princess will come back here with our people after the marriage ceremony?” 

  
“Yes. The idea is to use her as collateral should they break any of the negotiations. We guarantee her safety and well-being in exchange for their cooperation. Of course, we would never hurt her, but should they break any of the agreements they will never see her again.”

Bellamy could see now how this could be to their advantage. It was simple: do his duty by marrying the Sky Princess, and in return his people gained access to crucial technology and medicines. Then the Sky People would be allowed to trade with the clan and hunt and live on their land and keep contact with their precious Princess.

“Now, we must go. You will have time to think about all of this during the courting period.”

Anya was right. There would be plenty of time during courting before the marriage ceremony to process all of this. It could wait. As of right now, he had an obligation to his people to uphold.


	2. Chapter 2

 

_“Be brave, my darling. You have faced dark times before now, and you’re still here.” C.T.L._

__

_**Clarke** _

__

She rose before the pink morning sun began to peek over the tree line. She decided to take a walk around the outer gate before everyone was up and stirring.

Today was the day. In a few hours the Council would be up and they would be making preparations to receive the Grounder negotiation party. Her mind was still spinning from the events of the weeks before. She replayed again and again the scene in the council room, wondering if she had made the right choice - for the colony, for her people and for herself.

****  
  


_She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She was sure she looked like a complete imbecile with her mouth wide open - but she could not get passed what she was hearing._

__

_The words coming out of Kane’s mouth were like nails on a chalkboard - arranged marriage._

__

_How could they be so barbaric?_

__

_“So we will give Brenna in an arranged marriage to the Grounders in exchange for hunting, trading and settling rights.”_

__

_Clarke knew Brenna. She was a very timid girl, maybe 19. She was also in love. What was his name? Rory? She had seen the two of them. Innocent love, blooming like a delicate spring flower._

__

_Kane couldn’t even look the rest of the council in the eyes. None of them would look up. They all knew this was unfair to Brenna, and they were cowards for it._   
  
_The poor girl. Her life was about to change catastrophically._

__

_And poor Rory. Neither of them deserved this._

__

_The two were inseparable, and the council was about to rip them apart to gain hunting and trading rights from the Grounders._

__

_How could they even think of marrying someone off like that, with no more thought than if trading cattle?_   
  
_But at the same time, how could they let the colony die? There were no winners in this game. Only life and death. A sacrifice had to be made one way or another. The only questions was if they were going to sacrifice hundreds for the sake of two, or two for the sake of hundreds. Clarke’s heart ached for the girl._

__

_All of a sudden she was blurting out words from a place inside her she didn’t even know existed._

__

_“I’ll do it.”_

__

_The council members’ heads whipped around, mouths wide open._

__

_The inevitable reality was that in this life, on this earth, she would most likely never find love. Instead, her constant focus was ensuring survival for herself and her people at all costs. She was willing to sacrifice the slight possibility of love so that future generations wouldn’t have to. Brenna and Rory had found something rare, something few in the colony had the blessing of knowing, and how cruel would it be of her to sit by passively as it was traded away? What did she have to lose?_

__

_“No, honey, that’s not necessary. We have already decided on Brenna. Its just a sacrifice that had to be made. I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it had to be.” Abby dissuaded calmly, as if talking her daughter down from a ledge. “She’s young; she’ll recover. We’ve all had to do things we didn’t want to in order to make it this far.” She waved a hand in dismissal._

__

_“Its not fair to Brenna. She doesn’t even know. You’re just going to sit her down and inform her that you’re taking away her say in her future?”_   
  
_“Clarke, I said no.” Abby was firm, the look in her eyes daring Clarke to retaliate._

__

_Clarke refused to cower down to her mother’s tyranny any longer. She straightened up, standing taller._

  
_“You can’t tell me what to do anymore. I’ll marry the Grounder.” She shifted her gaze to Kane. She would do anything for her people. She would make the sacrifice._   
  
_“You’re just a child Clarke.” Attempting to manipulate her into recanting her foolishness, Abby reached out to touch Clarke’s arm._

__

_Clarke took a step back, avoiding her hand._   
  
_“No. I grew up the day you sent me here to die. I’m going to do what’s best for my people, and what’s best for my friend.” Fearless._   
  
_At this point Clarke didn’t know if she was insisting more for Brenna’s sake or just to spite her mother._   
  
_After Wells had told her the truth about her dad, Clarke’s relationship with her mother had never been the same. She was a traitor. Her mother in name, but no longer in blood. She obliged her mother - coming to Council meetings, continuing her training in the med ward. But she had been aching to break away from her for so long, and now was her chance. She needed to be free of the condescending remarks, the chiding, the nagging. Besides, how terrible could it be to be married to a Grounder? They may be savages, but they were people too. It couldn’t be worse than bearing the suffocating weight of her mother’s presence._

__

_She stared Kane down with a fire that begged to be challenged._

__

_“I’m doing this out of my own free will. I’ll marry the Grounder. Take me instead.”_   
  
_Kane looked at Clarke, then to Abby, and back to Clarke again. He nodded slowly._

__

_“As Chancellor pro tempore, I hereby hold that Clarke will be given in the arranged marriage to the Grounders in exchange for trading, hunting and settling rights.”_

__

_Abby jerked up from the table, and exited the room, slamming the metal door angrily behind her._

__

_And there stood Clarke Griffin of the Sky People. At one time she was their Brave Princess. Now she was their Savior Queen._

__

__________________________________________

_**Bellamy** _

Anya was right. It was warmer coming down the mountain. He relinquished his furs and jacket, trading them for a cloak of sunlight. He hated the sticky heat of the summer, but he hated the brutal winter on the mountain more. The weather in the Valley was perfect this time of year - early October.

They reached the base of the mountain and stopped to water the horses at a nearby brook before striking west for Camp Jaha.

“Try not to look so overjoyed about meeting your soon to be wife,” Nyko jabbed at him lightly with his fist, a stupid grin plastered ear to ear.

“Oh, I’m just ecstatic.” The look on Bellamy’s face reeked of sarcasm.

“Well, at least your not obligated to her. It’s just for show.”

Bellamy nodded, bending down to scoop up some of the water in his canteen.

Nyko was right. At least he wasn’t obligated to her. Sure, they would share a lodge, and bed even, but they could remain completely platonic. No one expected any more than that from them. He would go about his business and she would go about hers.

He vowed to remain stoically unattached. There was no way he would ever grow close to, let alone love, a piece of Sky trash. No way in hades.

__________________________________________

__

_“From which stars have we fallen to meet each other here?” Friedrich Nietzsche_

_**Clarke** _

__

The Grounders reached the camp about noon. As much as Clarke hated to admit it, they looked incredibly majestic reigning their tamed beasts through the gate.

She followed the group of council members to greet the party, staying hidden in the back. Which of these men would be her husband? Maybe they would give her a choice?  
  
But as they unmounted it became apparent which one she was being given to. One of the men, tall, dark-skinned with a shaved head, curled a muscled arm around a petite, but fierce looking woman as she came down off of her saddle.. Another man with a long beard and tattoos on his face sidled up next to a woman with long dark hair and two swords strapped across her back. And that left the one. The one standing in the back of the group. His brooding eyes peeked out from a mop of insanely gorgeous, jet-black curls. His eyes were even more intriguing, endless pools of black.

She had never seen such a disgusted scowl. He obviously did not want to be here. The grounder made that apparent.

The leader of the group, Anya, stepped forward to greet Kane. The rest of the council members nodded to her in acknowledgement. Clarke stayed still in the back, waiting on the call to come forward.

_“Belomi, kamp raun hir.”_

__

Clarke had been around Grounders enough to know a little Trigedasleng.

_Bellamy, come here_ , she translated mentally.

“Bellamy…” She whispered to herself. She was almost certain she had heard that name before.

And like a ton of bricks, it hit her.

The memory was burned into her mind. How could she forget?

She could see him drawing his sword, face grim, as he struck down a boy no more than 15. Sheathing his sword in the poor child’s abdomen, and removing it with a sickening swiftness. And then they closed the dropship door, and burned them all.

How did he survive the blast?

_The tunnels. Of course._  
  
She shuddered internally, remembering the gore. Disposing of the bodies, taking what they needed from the deceased to survive. Inside it felt wrong, revolting, but she had to do whatever it took to help her people survive - even if it was hard, even if it was uncomfortable.

Just like now.

She was slowly beginning to realize that this would be a recurring pattern in her life. It would forever be a series of difficult decisions made on the premise of what was best for her people.

She was about to be betrothed to a murdering Grounder, a man who had killed her friends, and the only family she had known once her feet hit the ground.

For a moment she was tempted to retreat and take it all back, but something else rose up in her. She was birthed in the stars, with galaxies in her veins. She was the Princess of the Skies, and she was not afraid.

Kane motioned to a small table they had placed near the gate to do business over, and spread out the legal papers in front of the Commander.

That was a bad idea. The heda glared at them showing her obvious disapproval.

“What are these?” She gestured angrily toward the stack of papers.

“They are documents to keep a record of the treaty,” Kane explained, condescendingly, gathering them up in his hands. “They outline the terms of the agreement and make the marriage and the treaty binding.” His tone did not help the atmosphere.

The heda’s eyes were on fire.

“You don’t trust us to keep our word?” She could barely keep herself from spitting the words in the councilman’s face. Clarke had never seen someone look so offended - and ticked off.

“This is just how we-”  
  
“Well you abide by our terms. We will do things our way.” Clarke filed away a mental note to be sure not to get on the heda’s bad side.   
  
Clarke flinched internally as Kane dramatically dropped the papers on the table. If he kept this up there would be no agreement, and no food or supplies for the winter. And if the winter was bad enough there would be no colony when it was all said and done.

“Fine. Your way then.” He bowed to her, mockingly.

That was it for Anya. In a flash she drew her knife and had it at his throat, with Kane leaned back over the table, his precious papers fluttering to the ground. Immediately Nyko and Lyra were pulling the Commander off of Kane and coaxing her down in their native tongue.

There was movement from the back of their group as the tall man with the shaved head released his hold around the tiny brunette’s waist, stepping forward to fill the separation between Anya and Kane.

“Obviously there’s a lot of tension right now,” he eyed the heda, who was practically growling, “so let’s just get this over with.”

“Belomi kom Trigeda.” Lincoln motioned with a nod for him to come forward.

“Klark kom Skaikru.”

Recognizing it was her time, she stepped through the tiny crowd of council members to the table where Bellamy and Lincoln were standing, and removed the head covering that protected her hair from being whipped about by the wind.

Lincoln withdrew an intricately carved bone knife from its sheath.   
  
Clarke silently gulped, letting her imagination run wild with the possibilities of what could happen next. She knew nothing about Grounder marriages or courting ceremonies, but she had seen some otherworldly things since she came to the Earth, and she was sure she could handle whatever was about to happen.

First, Lincoln took Bellamy’s hand. Clarke winced as he pressed the blade into his palm, and red, shiny liquid poured from the wound. She was next.

Lincoln gingerly took her hand and did the same, her own blood spilling out.

He then took both hands and pressed them together.

“Ko _m jus yos keryon laik teina._

_Yos sonraun teina, belaik skai, no odon._

_Hodnes na belaik yos houm.”_

  
“By blood your souls are joined.

Your life together, like the sky, will never end.

Love will be your home.”

_Love._ Clarke almost scoffed. The only love involved in this was the love she had for her people. There was no love besides that - only duty.

But as her blood mixed with this stranger’s, a tiny piece of her felt at home, as if the universe was finally being kind to her after all of these years.

___________________________________

_“She was different. After all; I would be a fool not to notice the way the sunshine played with her hair.” Christopher Poindexter_

__

**_Bellamy_ **

As they approached Camp Jaha it struck Bellamy how pitiful the settlement was. The Colony was nothing but space scraps and shakily built structures. At the center of the camp a looming chunk of the Ark rose up from the ground, half-buried, as if it had grown there, and scattered around it were various “cabins” (if you could even call them that). Their medical area was a tent made of tarps and sheet metal. A flimsy wire fence was all that stood between the Colony and the world outside. He couldn’t fathom how they had even survived this long with such a sad excuse for a camp. His village was organized, with neatly planned and spaced homes, smokehouses, gardens, chicken coops and livestock pens. Surrounding the humble, yet impregnable, Grounder commonage was a wall made from centuries-old tree trunks and cemented mud, all encompassed by a system of dangerous trenches and manholes.

He could see why they were so desperate for help.

So desperate that they would marry off one of their own.

So desperate that they would marry of their _princess._

__

His clan, on the other hand, was not desperate; only focused on securing a better future for the next generation. Though Grounders were generally permitted to marry whomever they wished inside the clan, marrying for love was not a concern for members of the court, especially when there was an opportunity to safeguard peace or generate progress. Like perishing in battle, it was considered noble to sacrifice one’s life in the way of an arranged marriage. Even though Bellamy utterly despised the Skaikru, he considered it an honor to do this for his people. He took pride in the fact that he was ensuring a better future for the next generation of his clan - maybe even one that included mutual peace with the Sky People. As much as he loathed them, he knew it was best for his clan to make peace with the Skaikru. It just had to be done, and this marriage was the first step.

He put on a hard face as he slid down from his beast. Anya greeted the Sky leader with a traditional Grounder handshake, and Bellamy enjoyed seeing his discomfort and confusion.

He watched as the man revealed some type of documents and placed them on the table.

_Of course. They don’t trust us enough to keep our word,_ he scoffed.

Anya didn’t seem to like the looks of them either.

  
Things escalated quickly. Before Bellamy even realized what was happening, the heda had the man bent backwards over the table with a blade against his pallid skin.

Nyko and Lyra quickly diffused the situation and Lincoln stepped in to hurry the ceremony along.

_“Belomi kom Trigeda.”_ That was his cue.

He moved forward to the center of the two groups. This was the end of his life as he knew it.

_For the good of my people_ , he assured himself.

_“Klark kom Skaikru.”_

A small woman moved towards him from the back of the cluster of council members.

Her eyes met his and it was as if a live wire had touched his skin.

He didn’t like it.

She removed the scarf covering her head, and a what seemed like a thousand strands of the purest gold danced around her face and shoulders.

He had seen this ceremony performed dozens of times, but right then, somehow he seemed to forget how it went, like forgetting the steps to a dance or the words to a song. As his brain began to catch up with his surroundings he thrust his hand out clumsily towards Lincoln. Lincoln turned Bellamy’s palm up and dragged the blade across his skin. He watched his betrothed wince as blood spilled from the slit. He almost smirked. Almost.

It was her turn next. Lincoln made it a point to be gentle with her tiny hand. He would be willing to bet she had never experienced anything like this before. He wondered momentarily if the wound would leave an ugly scar on her soft, uncalloused palm.

Then Lincoln took their hands and pressed them together, blood mingling. Bellamy entwined his fingers with the princess’s, soaking up the mixture of pain and purpose in her eyes. As his hand enveloped hers he could feel a foreign heat creeping up his neck and into his cheeks.

He didn’t like it.  
  
Lincoln repeated the old saying.

_“Kom jus yos keryon laik teina._

_Yos sonraun teina, belaik skai, no odon._

_Hodnes na belaik yos houm.”_

_“....Love will be your home.”_

He wondered why they used the traditional marriage blessing for arranged marriages. They should say something more like, “Thanks for giving up your freedoms for your people. Now, try to have a semi-decent life with each other. Oh, and don’t forget to have some kids along the way to ensure the survival of the human race.” They all knew that love was nowhere to be found here; between two strangers, from two different worlds, and two different ways of life.

But as his friend spoke the blessing over them, Bellamy found it extremely difficult to keep his eyes off this fierce woman. There was something about her that was different from the rest of the Skaikru. There was a fire present in her, one that seemed to have left the eyes of her people long ago.

He didn’t like it.

But at the same time, somewhere deep down in his chest, he did.

 


End file.
